“I would have loved to have played with him. He reminds me of Robert Pires,” the New York Red Bulls forward told Sky Sports ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League defeat against Napoli.

Ozil has has been a revelation since joining Arsenal.

Ozil has scored four goals and has seven assists to his name this season and many fans credit the first spot Arsenal is enjoying to the German.

“He will share the ball. He can find a guy who is quick; a target striker. He can play any type of ball. He has the thing you want from a midfielder: he always has time. It seems like he is playing on his own in his garden.”

“He brought that composure on the ball that you need. I think he brought that to Arsenal, him coming with his name. You have got to back it up [and] he did back it up.”

Thierry Henry has also praised the changed attitude of Gunners. He said: “Just the belief that they have again, knowing that they can beat any team at any moment.

“I think, if you remember well, the game against Bayern Munich [last season], away from home, did a lot for them.

“Knowing that they can beat the champions – [though] they didn’t know it at the time – away from home, and well, did a lot for the team. Since that game, everything changed, for me.”

The former Arsenal striker also shared his concerns over the teams that Arsenal will have to face in the group of 16 in the Champions League.